Anyone looking for a career which is sure to be in demand for many years to come might want to consider becoming an ultrasound technician or, more specifically Diagnostic Medical Sonographer.

It’s not a program every college offers and they don’t take a lot of students at a time -- fewer than 20 because there are a limited number of hospitals where students can do clinical work as they learn -- but it’s a solid profession.

“Our graduates are all over Michigan and the U.S.A.,” said Caroline O’Neill-Nacy, Oakland Community College’s director of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. “At Johns Hopkins, at the Mayo Clinic -- everywhere.”

OCC was the first college in Michigan to offer an ultrasound technician program, graduating its first class in 1981.

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OCC works with several hospitals in the tri-county area, so once its DMS students finish enough coursework they’re able to move on to clinical practices.

(OCC isn’t the only college in the area to offer DMS studies; Baker College in Auburn Hills does, too, as do St. John Providence and Henry Ford Hospital’s main campus.)

Oakland’s extended associate degree in Applied Science requires a solid commitment, including meeting several prerequisites (psychology, math, sciences, anatomy and physiology, English, and more) as well as a second year of targeted, professional development. The current 15-month program is likely to soon be expanded to 18 months, O’Neill-Nacy said, because of technology growth. “We’re due.”

While everyone is familiar with the expectant mother going in for an ultrasound, there’s more to the field than that. The entire torso can be scanned -- checking thyroid, breast, testicular health and more. It’s also becoming big for vascular (pertaining to blood vessels) checks, said O’Neill-Nacy, and branching into ever more specialized territory -- peripheral vascular, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and more.

It’s gratifying work, too, O’Neill-Nacy said. “(These technicians) record an image, a potentially life-saving image ... and give to the doctor to make a diagnosis.” There’s a great deal of pride, she said, to be part of helping so many people.

A huge component in why DMS is growing is because it’s one, more detailed than X-rays, so one gets a more thorough diagnosis, and it’s more affordable than Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

OCC makes sure it’s DMS students are highly trained, too, meeting their prerequisites, doing clinical practice at area partner hospitals and, once they complete the program, they can take a national exam to certify. Oakland also has a reciprocal agreement with Macomb Community College, to avoid duplication of programs. Oakland takes five MCC students into their program, and in turn Oakland sends five of its students into MCC’s veterinary technician program.